Students delete addictive social media app for finals week
Freshman Amelia Abernethy logs out and deletes Snapchat from her phone. Abernethy is one of the many people who decided to delete the app since it distracted her from studying and doing homework.
December 11, 2018
WEB EXCLUSIVE Students are deleting Snapchat from their phones to reduce screen time while preparing and studying for final exams.
“Deleting Snapchat was a great decision for me because I spent a lot of time consumed in the app,” freshman Takouhi Asdourian said. “I feel like now since Snapchat notifications aren’t constantly pinging my phone, I can really hone in on the work I am doing.”
Snapchat distracts users with constant notifications and 24 hour real time communication. The app sucks in users and students often become immersed into the social media platform, rather than their school work.
“The three pillars of executive functioning are the growth mindset, being organized, and self-regulation,” Executive Functioning Coach Eli Kramer said. “Getting rid of Snapchat during finals is an amazing tactic to make sure you stay focused and don’t get distracted.”
Other students, such as freshman Elizabeth Mullen, are still deciding if it is worth deleting the app because if they do, they risk losing their “snap streaks” which are numbers people obtain next to the person they have sent a photo to that track the amounts of consecutive days they have been communicating through the app.
“I decided to delete snapchat as we approach finals so I can focus more on my work and not have as many distractions,” junior Jacqui Carlson said.
The app includes chatting, sending pictures, life updates, and location sharing which can divert students from concentrating on school.
“A key piece of self-regulation is knowing what you can’t take on when your busy and doing what you need to eliminate these things from your tasks, schedule, and habits,” Kramer said.
